Let’s Eat 2 Episode 11 recap

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Cold noodles (냉면)
“You can feel the chewiness of the Naengmyun if you don’t cut it.”

Episode Recap

Former classmates, and current neighbours, Dae Young and Soo Ji bicker their way up the mountain until he irritably returns her backpack to her, and hikes ahead. However, when Soo Ji is accosted by drunk hikers, Dae Young pops up in time to save her. Soo Ji is grateful then further impressed when it appears that Dae Young scouted ahead for the Euot trees that she is allergic to.

Beauty blogger, Hye Rim is living comfortably with old lady, Jeom Yi, so they both agree to have her stay on longer. Jeom Yi decides to notify her land lord, Mi Ran about this living arrangement. However, when Hye Rim spots Mi Ran, she recognizes the customer who blamed her for selling cigarettes to her underage son, then chastised her for dressing provocatively. Hye Rim hurriedly greets Mi Ran then runs away. Mi Ran starts frothing at the mouth and Jeom Yi stays mum about their living arrangements.

Hye Rim runs into roof dweller, Joo Seung who was waiting to walk her to the restaurant where she works. She receives a call from Jeom Yi warning her that their living arrangement must remain a secret from Mi Ran. Joo Seung repeats his offer to Hye Rim to pay for her own apartment, but Hye Rim encourages Joo Seung to study hard for her sake, as Jeom Yi had asked her to do.

Dae Young and Soo Ji finally arrive at the top of the mountain, and are treated to a great view. However, Soo Ji can only see the juicy cucumbers that other hikers are enjoying. Neither Soo Ji nor Dae Young brought any food so he suggests that they find food in the camping area. When that also turns out to be a bust, Dae Young orders camp food delivery, which sounds way better than hunting and foraging.

Hijinks ensue when Dae Young and Soo Ji attempt to assemble their tents. One collapses on top of them, and they find themselves within kissing distance of each other. The awkward moment is interrupted by the delivery of food.

Once the grill is fired up, Dae Young and Soo Ji engage in a heated debate over how often one is supposed to flip pork belly. Soo Ji advocates flipping the meat when it starts shrinking whereas Dae Young believes in only one flip, period. Soo Ji tries both methods and is forced to admit that Dae Young’s way is still delicious. They stuff their faces with sausages, clams, sweet peppers, tomatoes, instant ramen, and more – all hot off the grill.

In Na returns home to Seoul where the husband that she is always bragging about (cameo by Kong Hyung Jin) completely ignores her as he leaves. She screams her refusal to grant a divorce to his receding back, then falls back on her heels, crying.

Back at the campsite, Dae Young is flush with beer, and Soo Ji has passed out. When her head lands on his shoulder, Dae Young is tempted to give the unconscious Soo Ji a kiss. In the end, he does not, and Sang Woo calls shortly after, before arriving at the campsite. Dae Young quickly retreats to his tent to sit alone, looking distressed, and Sang Woo places Soo Ji in her tent.

The next morning, Soo Ji wakes up to find Sang Woo waiting, and Dae Young gone. Sang Woo appears indifferent to Dae Young’s disappearance, and he is able to pack up the camp site on his own. In the car, Sang Woo proposes that he and Soo Ji just meet without Dae Young as a chaperone from now on. Then, he invites Soo Ji to hang out over the weekend at his apartment, placing her on edge.

A frustrated Dae Young is at home thinking about his near kiss with Soo Ji, and ignoring her calls. When the door bell rings, it is Hye Rim. Following the advice of Jeom Yi, Hye Rim informs Dae Young of her living arrangement, which is to be kept a secret from Mi Ran. Soo Ji arrives at that moment, and Hye Rim invites her for a meal in order to share her secret with all the tenants.

As Hye Rim goes to fetch Joo Seung for dinner, Soo Ji asks Dae Young why he left the campsite without saying goodbye. He gives a vague excuse about work. She asks for his take on Sang Woo’s invitation to spend time in his apartment, wondering if it means skinship is imminent or far off. Dae Young just stares at Soo Ji, looking grumpy.

Hye Rim takes Soo Ji, Dae Young and Joo Seung out for cold noodles, and confirms that they will all keep her living arrangement with Jeom Yi a secret. When the cold noodles arrive, Soo Ji objects to Dae Young cutting his noodles. Instead of engaging her in a debate, Dae Young just gives a short and sullen response that surprises Soo Ji. He is friendlier with Hye Rim, much to the chagrin of Joo Seung.

While Soo Ji is in the toilet, she finds out that Dae Young has left without saying goodbye for a second time. She immediately calls him and Dae Young claims to be busy with work, again. He then calls his colleague, Taek Soo who claims to be busy with his family. The truth is that Taek Soo is in a hotel room with In Ah, and they both look uncomfortable as she attempts a sexy dance.

Soo Ji calls Dae Young after failing to receive a callback from him. She begs him for advice on what to bring as a gift when she visits Sang Woo’s apartment. Dae Young flippantly suggests a bottle of wine then hangs up on her. Unfortunately, Soo Ji’s finances are in a desperate state thanks to the expensive purchases she has made with Sang Woo. In order to afford a gift for Sang Woo, she decides to sell her treadmill online. With Hye Rim’s assistance, Soo Ji gets an offer of $100, but when the buyer arrives, Soo Ji is reminded of herself before her weight loss. Soo Ji returns a portion of the money back to the buyer in a show of support.

After stepping on dog poo left outside his apartment and finding his car tire punctured, Dae Young manages to trap Joo Seung into confessing to the crimes. He drags Joo Seung to a restaurant where they drink so-maek, beer mixed with soju. Dae Young pokes holes in Joo Seung’s claim that he is 30 years old, and Joo Seung’s only response is to keep chugging.

A plastered Joo Seung threatens to kill Dae Young if he does not leave Hye Rim alone, claiming to have killed before. Dae Young states that he does not see Hye Rim as anything more than a friend, and she clearly feels the same way about Joo Seung. While a montage of happy moments with Soo Ji plays out in his mind, Dae Young voices his own worry that confessing one’s feelings could result in the loss of a friendship. Joo Seung ends up sobbing for his mother, and an exasperated Dae Young drags him out.

When Soo Ji arrives at Sang Woo’s apartment, he is caught off guard, having lost track of the time while cleaning. A flustered Sang Woo rushes off to buy food, and Soo Ji finishes up the cleaning in his absence. When Sang Woo returns, he is so touched that he proposes to her on the spot.

Wait, the marriage proposal was just Soo Ji’s imagination running wild. It does inspire her to engage in a cleaning frenzy, and she realizes at some point that Sang Woo’s robot vacuum has gone missing. When Sang Woo returns, they view security camera footage of his vacuum escaping into the elevator. Sang Woo seems unconcerned about having lost the appliance, and highly amused. He reassures Soo Ji that he enjoys being around her, because fun things happen, but she remains shamefaced about the loss.

After leaving Joo Seung on the rooftop of their apartment, Dae Young rushes back to the restaurant to retrieve his cell phone. He returns to the apartment just in time to see Sang Woo drop off Soo Ji. Sang Woo is leaving when he spots Dae Young hiding behind a car. Sang Woo suddenly decides to turn back and draw Soo Ji in a kiss. Soo Ji is initially shocked, but melts into the moment. Dae Young can only watch as his heart breaks.

Alone in his car, Sang Woo thinks back to the moment he arrived at the campsite, and witnessed Dae Young’s near kiss with an unconscious Soo Ji. He grimly drives away as Dae Young steps out into the open behind him.

Comments

Now that it is clear that the writers are hell bent on forcing a romantic relationship between Dae Young and Soo Ji, the only pleasure that I can gain from “Let’s Eat 2” is the freak show of a pair of feuding siblings contemplating incest. Sang Woo and Soo Ji really are the more believable couple; she’s ridiculous, he is bemused, and together, they have cute chemistry. However, Sang Woo’s likeability is suffering as he becomes increasingly jealous and petty towards Dae Young. His first kiss with Soo Ji should not have been an act of marking his territory. Dae Young is hardly better in considering a kiss to satisfy his desires rather than a shared experience with a conscious and willing Soo Ji.

One story line playing out on the periphery that is piquing my interest is In Ah’s. We go from discovering that she is estranged from her husband to seeing her doing her misguided sexy dance before Taek Soo in a hotel room. In Ah with Taek Soo is as inexplicable as the romantic relationship between Dae Young and Soo Ji, but considerably more amusing.

Oh, wait, besides the inappropriate romance, I can still enjoy the food porn. That will be something to look forward to over the remaining seven episodes. Stay hungry, viewers!